The Mutant Thieves
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: The story of how the two separate clans of mutant thieves, one led by Wolverine and the other by Remy LeBeau, came to become one family. Along the way, they find love and fight to avoid the law. Romy, RoLo and others. AU.
1. One Cajun's Story

Title: The Mutant Thieves  
Author: Pirates Turner & Sparrow  
Rating: R for violence and sexual references  
Couples: Remy/Rogue, Wolverine/Ororo, Cable/Domino, Sean/Emma, Chamber/Boomer, Skin/Jubilee  
Summary: The story of how the two separate clans of mutant thieves, one led by Wolverine and the other by Remy LeBeau, came to become one family. Along the way, they find love and fight to avoid the law. Each chapter is told from the POV of a different character.

**One Cajun's Story**

De's name's Remy LeBeau, but you can call me Gambit. Everybody else does. One night in October found me sittin' dere in de shadows o' de cave at serves as a home for me an' my group while Emma counted out de money we'd stolen dat day an' Stormy cooked supper. We're not your regular group, that's for sure. We're different dan everybody else. We're mutants, gifted with unique powers.

Take Emma for example: sure she _looks_ like your every-day blonde woman, but dat blonde hair covers up a mind dat can read an' control de minds o' other people an' animals. You'd never know she's different just by look' at her. Now, on de other hand, take Stormy: you'd know dat she's different by lookin' at her 'cause o' her long, white hair an' light, brown skin. She's the only black in dese parts o' the West. So, like I said, all you had to do to know Stormy's different is look at her.

You heard dat phrase "beautiful but deadly"? Well, dat dere phrase refers to both Stormy an' Emma. Besides usin' her telepathy to read de thoughts o' others an' control people, Emma can use to make what she calls a "psi-whip". I ain't never had de misfortune to actually feel the whip, but I know it's got some powerful sting 'cause I've seen her use it on people who're unlucky enough to make her mad. Besides havin' wonderful fighting skills, Stormy can control de weather -- lightning, hurricanes, snow, the whole nine yards -- an' fly by de wind.

An' den dere's me -- I always save de best for last. Besides my uncanny charms an' my good looks, ya couldn't tell dere's anything different 'bout me just by lookin' at me, but dere is. Not only am I great at what I do -- gamblin', stealin', an' charmin' de ladies --, but I can charge up any ordinary object to be a powerful an' deadly weapon. So, ya see, ya don't wanna make any o' us mad.

Now it ain't no coincidence dat de three o' us are together. Stormy an' I met years ago. I'd only been ten at de time, an' she'd been even younger. In fact, she was still a baby, only three years old. I'd heard news dat a wagontrain had been attacked by a tribe of Apache Indians an' thought dat dere might be some money or something else valueable left over after de attack, so I'd rode out dere. I was lookin' through de first wagon when I heard some one cryin' like their heart'd been broken so I snuck 'round to see what was goin' on. I had to go slam 'round to de other side 'fore I saw her. She was cryin' over her parents' bodies. I could tell from deir wounds that dey'd been stabbed by something, but I coudn't see what. I figured probably by arrows, but I didn't see dem anywhere. I started quietly toward the girl. She heard me an' looked up at me, her teary blue eyes full o' fear. "Please . . . don't hurt me . . . " she said in a whisper.

"Remy not gonna hurt you, chere." I continued to walk slowly towards her, holdin' out my hands so she could see I didn't have any weapons.

De little Storm looked at me, frightened an' not darin' to move one way or de other. "What happened here?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"Indians came; they attacked us. They killed everybody but me. They would've gotten me, too, but I was hiding like Momma told me to." She cried as she looked down at her parents' still bodies.

I knelt down 'side her an' opened my arms to her, offerin' her a shoulder to cry on. She accepted. She was all alone wit'out any money an' didn't have anywhere to go, so I took her in. What else could I have done? No way could I have left her dere; she would've been killed. Dere wasn't any money in de wagons, but I came away from dere wit' something even better than all de money in de entire West: a wonderful friend who I could count on in de good times an' de bad.

I couldn't help but to smile as I thought about how Stormy an' I'd met. It wasn't under good conditions, but we managed to come away from dere winners. Well, I know I did. Can't really say 'bout Stormy. She lost her parents, but she got a friend outta de deal. An', to me, if ya come outta a bad situation wit' anythin' good, you're a winner. But I doubt Stormy would agree.

I shuffled 'round in my pockets an' pulled out a cigarette. I lit it an' took a puff. I got dis feelin' like I was being looked at, so I looked up. Both Stormy an' Emma were starin' at me. I knew what day were dinking.

"Remy," Emma begun, pushing a bit of her blonde hair away from her face, "you know what Ororo and I think of smoking."

"Indeed," Storm nodded. "Remy, if you _have_ to smoke, please do it outside."

I knew it. Dey fuss whenever I light a cigar. I shrugged carelessly, stood up, an' strolled outside wit' de tail o' my brown trench coat flappin' 'round my knees. It was a nice night. De sky was scattered wit' stars, an' dere was a full moon. I took another puff off my cigar 'fore my thoughts turned over to de day I met Emma.

Stormy an' I were watchin' a train so we'd know when an' where it stopped an' could work de crowd dat got off. De train came to a screeching hault. A couple o' guys carried a strugglin' girl off de train an' threw her face-down in de dirt. De girl sat up an' spit out de dirt. It landed on one o' de guy's boots; de guy kicked her angrily, "Dang mutant."

They turned to get back on de train just as de girl got back on her feet. She scratched one o' de guys across de back. "That's it." De guy whirled back 'round an' took out a gun from his pocket.

"What're ya doing?" de other guy demanded o' his partner, turnin' back 'round.

As de two guys argued 'bout rather or not Mr. an' Mrs. Frost (I reckoned they were the girl's parents) would be mad when dey found out, I snapped my horse's reins an' headed towards dem. Stormy flew after me. De guy wit' de gun saw Stormy an' went to shoot at her, but a well-aimed lightning bolt knocked the gun a few yards away. We continued on towards dem, only faster now. De train took off wit'out de guys. Storm took care o' de guys by puttin' dem on top o' the retreatin' train by usin' de wind while I dismounted an' ran up to de girl. I offered her a hand. She accepted, an' I pulled her back up to her feet.

"What was dat all 'bout?" I asked de young Emma.

Storm landed next to us. "What did those men want?"

"They were carrying out my parents' orders," Emma answered, wiping de dirt off o' her face wit' her hand.

"What kind of parents would desert their daughter in the middle of nowhere?" Stormy asked.

"My parents are rich and have large egos and reputations. They didn't want their mutant daughter messing their image up." She looked in disgust at her grimy hand. Stormy took Emma's hand in one o' hers while a few raindrops sprinkled down from her other hand into Emma's palm. "Thanks," Emma said with a tiny smile as she used de rainwater to clean her hand.

"You're welcome," Stormy said, havin' already released Emma's hand. "As you can tell, I am a mutant, as well."

"So am I." I scooped up a rock, used my mutant power to charge de rock up wit' kinetic energy, an' threw de rock at a catcus that stood a few yards away. De rock hit its target; de catcus exploded. All dat was left o' de catcus were a few pieces scattered here an' there.

"I don't want to go back home," Emma told us. "Can I stay with you?" she asked Stormy an' me.

"Certainly," Storm replied right off de bat.

I nodded in agreement.

"By the way, I'm Emma."

An' dat's how Emma joined Stormy an' me. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I knew it was Stormy. "Remy, are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Stormy," I replied. "Just been dinkin'."

"What about?"

"Just memories."

"Of?"

"How we all met."

"Well, you'd best come on in; supper's ready," Stormy told me.

I followed her in after stompin' out my cigar. Emma was already at de table; Stormy an' I joined her. De smell o' Stormy's cookin' made me lick my lips. De three o' us bowed our heads while Stormy blessed de food. I reopened my eyes an' looked at Stormy an' Emma. I smiled. De three o' us are more than friends -- we're a family. Whatever de future holds we can handle it but only together.

**The End**


	2. A Tale From The ClawMan

**A Tale From The Claw-Man**

**YEARS AGO**

I was on my way ta my hideout when my nose picked up an unfamiliar scent. I scanned my surroundings an' saw a trail o' blood. I followed the bloody trail ta a cave. Prepared ta fight if necessary, I slid into the cave, makin' sure ta stay in the shadows. I sniffed the air; my nose picked up the scent o' a hurt girl.

I only had ta continue a few yards more into the cave 'fore I saw her. A young woman was layin' down in the very back o' the cave. Blood spilled from her right arm, makin' a red pool underneath part o' her body. She had long, reddish-brown hair with a white streak down the middle; the blood matted some o' her hair together. She opened her green eyes an' said in a whisper, "Who are ya?"

She was loosin' a lot o' blood an' wouldn't make it unless she got some help. If I had the right tools with me, I could've stopped the bleedin', but I didn't. I had ta do somethin' ta help the girl, though. I couldn't just leave her there ta die. I stepped out o' the shadows. "The name's Wolverine, but ya can call me Logan." I walked up ta her an' knelt down beside her. I reached out ta take her arm in my hands.

"No! Don't touch me!" she managed ta yell.

Too late. I'd already begun examinin' her arm. "Why not?"

The girl didn't answer me. She closed her eyes instead. I could only watch in surprise as the blood suddenly stopped flowin'. A claw similar to my own claws popped out o' her index finger on her left hand; she didn't wince as she used the claw ta pick the bullet from the hole on her right arm. I took the bullet from her claw an' tossed it out o' the way. When I looked back, the hole in her arm was sealed up, the claw was gone, an' she was sittin' up, lookin' at me. "Why did ya wait ta do that?" I asked, recoverin' from my surprise.

"'Cause Ah didn't have those powahs until ya touched me." I waited patiently fer her ta continue. "Ya see, Ah'm a mutant like ya. Mah powah's absorption. That means Ah get the powahs o' whoever Ah touch. Usually, Ah put 'em in a coma. Ah don't know why Ah didn't put ya out, but Ah'm glad Ah didn't."

"So am I. What's yer name?"

"Ah'm called Rogue."

"That's an unusual name fer a girl."

"It's what Ah am, mistah."

"Yer a thief, too?"

"What do ya mean 'too'? Are ya one?" I nodded. "Well, in that case, yeah . . . Ah am."

"How did ya get shot?"

"Ah'd stolen some money from this farmer who'd just gotten paid for some cattle. Ah managed ta get ta mah horse an' ride off, but he got on his an' rode after me. After we'd gotten far away from his farm, he shot me. Ah fell off mah horse an' hit the ground hard. It knocked the wind outta me, but Ah still managed ta crawl in here."

"Why don't we ride together? We can watch each other's backs," I suggested even though I sure didn't need her.

"Why, Ah'd love that, Wolvy!" Rogue exclaimed before cautiously addin', "Ah can call ya 'Wolvy', can't Ah?"

"Sure," I grinned. That was the beginnin' o' my friendship with Rogue.

**PRESENT DAY**

Rogue an' I were at a slave auction, but we weren't there ta buy a slave. We were there ta steal the people's wallets while they weren't lookin'. We were makin' pretty good progress o' it, too. I wasn't really listenin' ta the announcer, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the name "Jubilation Lee". "It can't be," I whispered, lookin' up at the block. My jaw dropped open in surprise. "It is."

"What is it, Wolvy, shugah?" Rogue asked, comin' up ta stand beside me.

"I know that girl," I told Rogue.

"How?"

"I'll explain later. Here, take these," I handed her the stolen wallets I had with me, "an' get ready ta ride."

"Ah know what ya're thinkin', Wolvy . . . "

"Don't even try ta talk me outta it, Rogue. I have ta help her; she's my daughter."

Taken by surprise, Rogue froze still fer a few seconds, then shook her head, nodded, an' ran off fer the horses. I pushed my way through the crowd ta where I was right under her. "Jubilee," I whispered just loud enough fer her ta hear.

She looked down at me, an' I poked my hat up just 'nough so that she could see my face. Slowly, a grin formed on her face as she recognized me. I unsheathed my claws, jumped up onto the block, an' cut her free. She shot fireworks from her hands at the crowd, momentarily blindin' 'em. I picked her up an' ran us out o' the crowd. I kept runnin' until I reached my horse which Rogue had ready fer me. I put Jubilee down on her own two feet an' got on my black stallion. I then helped Jubilee up. She put her arms around my waist an' held on without needin' ta be told. I glanced at Rogue, saw she was ready ta go, an' then begun ta gallop on out o' there. Rogue followed right behind me at first, but soon, she was right beside me.

* * *

"Now, then, do y'all wanna tell me how y'all know each othah or not?" Rogue demanded impatiently.

"I grew up in Japan," Jubilee begun to explain. "That's where Wolvy an' I met years ago. I was runnin' after stealin' some money from these rich peeps my folks knew when I saw him' fightin' off a bunch o' lawmen. I knew he wouldn't ever get outta there alive if he didn't get some help, so I stopped an' helped him kick butt an' get outta there. After we'd lost the bozos, we started talkin' an' got to know each other an' become friends. From then on, we were inseparable until . . . until . . . " She glanced away towards the shadows where I sat, pickin' at piece of meat I'd gotten stuck in between my teeth.

"Until what?" Rogue asked.

"Until Wolvy disappeared on me," Jubilee whispered softly.

Her answer took Rogue by surprise. She shot me a questionin' look. "Ya wanna tell us what happened, Wolverine?"

I knew she wouldn't take no fer an answer. Besides, it was way past time I told Jubilee, an' they both deserved ta know any way. I stood up an' strode over ta 'em. I sat down an' folded my legs Indian-style 'fore answerin' her. I looked into Jubilee's blue eyes as I tried to refresh her memory. "Remember that time we were leavin' a bank after robbin' it an' we met a band o' robbers who'd planned ta rob that very same bank, Jubilee?" She nodded. "Remember how mad they were at us an' their leader swore they'd get us fer gettin' their loot?"

Jubilee gave a high, sharp whistle. "They were _way_ p.o.'ed!"

I nodded in agreement. "So much so that they wanted ta _kill_ us so they could get _all_ o' our stuff. I found out, but I didn't tell ya. I took the first boat outta Japan that very night."

"But why?" Jubilee shook her head in confusion.

"I hoped they'd follow me instead o' goin' after ya. I didn't care what happened ta me as long as ya were okay . . . " I glanced away from the fire, wishin' I could return ta the shadows, not knowin' how Jubilee would handle the truth.

"They didn't," Jubilee said after a while. "They came after me, but I managed to get away."

"What about yer parents?"

Jubilee hesitated, blinkin' her eyes a few times, and the realization hit me 'fore she finally answered, "They . . . weren't so lucky. Remo an' his gang got them."

"I'm sorry, Jubilee. Yer parents were wonderful people," I whispered.

"I know." She nodded just as tears begun spillin' down her cheeks. I took her into my arms in a hug an' held her while she cried. My eyes met the green ones o' Rogue. I knew there would be more questions later, but now wasn't the time fer 'em.

* * *

"Ah thought ya said she was your daughter?" Rogue asked me in a low whisper.

"I did."

"Ah don't understand . . . " Rogue shook her head in confusion.

"Adopted. You two are the closest things I've got ta daughters."

"Oh."

We sat there in silence fer a while. The only sounds were Jubilee's soft snorin', the crickets chirpin', an' the horses searchin' fer tender grass ta nibble. Shortly, Rogue asked me, "Will she be stayin'?"

I looked over at where Jubilee slept, curled up in my sleepin' bag near 'nough ta the fire ta keep warm but far enough away from it that there was no chance o' the sleepin' bag catchin' on fire. "Yeah," I said in a voice one notch above a whisper. "We're all she's got now. We're a family."

Rogue followed my gaze. She stared at the sleepin' girl fer a while 'fore noddin'. A little while later, she told me, "Ah'm gonna get some shut-eye. Ya'd bettah get some rest, too. We've got that bank heist 'morrow."

I nodded in agreement. "'Night." I picked at my teeth some more, still tryin' ta get that one piece o' meat out. My claw _finally_ managed ta snag it an' get it outta my mouth. My claw disappeared, causin' the meat to fall down onto one o' my fingers. I flicked over toward where the horses stood grazin' in the shadows. I wiped my finger off on the cool, green grass. My blue eyes swept over my surroundings: the horses grazin', Jubilee sleepin', and Rogue, who seemed ta have just fallen asleep. I wondered briefly 'bout what surprises the next day might bring 'fore stretchin' out an' leanin' against a tree. I folded my arms behind my head an' shut my eyes. I listened one last time fer any unusual noises, heard none, an' allowed myself ta doze off right then an' there.

**The End**


	3. Beginner's Luck

**Beginner's Luck**

I sat there at the bar, not drinking -- just thinking. I had been in this town for about a month now. The first two weeks had passed by quickly while I was gambling, but the last two had just dragged by. The first week, I had been new to town, so it had been easy to find a gambling opponent, especially since the guys thought a woman couldn't gamble. I had proved them all wrong while leaving them at the table with nothing but the clothes on their backs and shocked expressions on their faces.

The next week, I had went up against tougher competition -- _the_ toughest _this_ town had to offer. Again, I had come away from the tables the winner. Word in a small town travels fast, and pretty soon, no one dared to go up against me. That was why I wound up spending most nights of the last two weeks, including _this_ one, here at the bar, talking to Nathan, the only person I consider a friend.

"Not buying anything tonight, Dom?" asked Nathan, wiping down the surface of the bar in front of me.

"Not tonight, Nate." I've never really been one to drink. Usually, when I drank something, I made certain it was nonalcoholic. "Have you heard anything?"

"About some one stupid enough to gamble against you?" He chuckled. "Nope."

Just then, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head slightly to where I could see what was going on. A blonde was managing to get close to a couple of guys. They must have thought she was pretty or _something_. I don't know, but I _do_ know that while they were trying to get her attention, she was robbing them blind. After she had finished using them, she slapped the lead guy and left. I followed her, without saying a word to Nathan.

Once in the street, I blocked her path. "I saw what you did."

"Oh, really?" She smiled coldly. "I suspect you're going to _try_ to _stop_ me now?"

"No," I said. I had spent my winnings rapidly, and now I had little money to my name. "Actually, I'm interested in joining your little outfit."

"What makes you think I don't work alone?" She pulled her white cape around her as a cold wind blew by.

"Just a guess."

Before she could say anything, we were surrounded by the guys that she had stolen from while inside the bar. "Why'd you leave so soon, sweetie?"

"Yeah. You didn't give me a chance to give you something back," agreed the lead guy who she had slapped.

"Who's your friend?" asked a third.

The fourth didn't say anything. He just stared at the two of us with a wild, crazy grin on his face.

We exchanged glances before going into action. She pulled out what looked to be an electric whip and whipped the lead guy. I high-kicked the third guy's jaw. He aimed a punch at me, but I was too fast as I ducked, grabbing his fist in mine and flipping him over my back. He was knocked out as he hit the ground. She whipped another, knocking him out cold along with his buddies, while I beat the last one.

Nathan came running out the door then. "What's going on out here! Are you women all right?"

"We're fine, Nathan," I said with a small smile.

He started to say something, but then stopped and abruptly went back inside.

The woman turned to me. "You're good."

"So are you."

"Listen, if you _really_ want to join my friends and I, then here's what you have to do to become one of us . . . "

* * *

I breathed lightly as I crouched silently in the darkness outside the fancy ranch. The ranch in front of me was the home of Scott Summers, the local Governor, and his wife, Jean Grey Summers. If I had been any one else, I would have been nervous, but I wasn't any one else. I was me. I was Domino, the best gambler in the entire West. My mutant power of luck let me win against anybody and everybody I went up against, and I was certain that night would be no different. I knew I could do what had to be done to get in on the circle of thieves Emma Frost was a part of. My mission was to sneak into the ranch, undetected, steal the Governor's ruby quartz glasses, and deliver them the next evening to Emma and her friends. It would be easy for me.

I walked up to the gate and examined it. It was locked, and I didn't have a key. I did have a gun, but a shot would wake up the people in the house. Instead, I took hold of two different holes in the chain-link fence and began to climb up it. Seconds flew by, and I soon found myself jumping down onto the Governor's yard. I crouched low and looked around at my surroundings. I saw no dogs, and the solitary guard on the porch was fast asleep, his head slumped down over his gun. I raced up to the porch. The floor creaked under my boot; my eyes flashed down at it.

In the darkness, I could see little, but I did see when the possuming guard reached for his gun. I lashed out at him; my foot connected with his jaw. There was a crack as his head went flying back, and he was knocked out. I checked his pulse with two fingers -- he was still alive, but it would keep him knocked out long enough for me to do what I had come here to do.

I removed a ring of keys from the guard's belt. Key by key, I tried them all until I found the right one and the door swung open with a low creak. Cautiously, I entered the house. A small dog came running at me. Before he could alert his owners, I reached into my pocket and tossed him a tiny piece of meat I had saved from my lunch earlier that day. "There you go, boy. Now keep _quite_," I told the dog in a whisper.

I continued on into the hallway where a strong stranger grabbed me from behind. I flipped him onto his back and flipped on top of him. I gasped and rolled over. It was Nate! Nate pulled himself back up to his feet.

"I don't know who you are, woman," he whispered, "but I'm going to make you pay for breaking into my house."

"You're not the Governor," I hissed.

"No, I'm his son," Nate explained in a whisper.

I ran past him, elbowing him in the gut as I went past. I then chopped him in the back with my hand as I whirled back around. A moonbeam showed me his neck, and I was able to pick out a certain spot. I tapped my knuckle against that spot, and Nate crumbled to the floor. "Sorry, Nate, but this is business," I whispered to my unconscious friend.

I continued on my way to the Governor's bedroom. I snuck into the dark room and had to grope around. I felt my way to the Governor's nightstand; then, I searched for his glasses. It took me a few minutes to find them as I couldn't see the stand, but I _did_ find them. I picked them up and dropped them into a pouch I had attached to my belt earlier that evening.

I then proceeded to let myself out of the ranch. I encountered no more problems, and Nate did not wake back up while I was at the ranch which was a relief for me. Once outside, I ran to the back fence while trying to keep in the shadows. When I reached the fence, I checked the pouch to make sure it and the glasses were secure before climbing over the fence and running a safe distance away from the ranch to where I was sure they wouldn't be able to catch me if they were to wake up before I reached home.

* * *

I returned to Nate's saloon the next day for lunch. I was eating when Nate got freed up from his work. He came over to where I sat at the bar and watched me for a few minutes with a thoughtful expression on his face. I began to wonder if he knew that I had been the one that broke into his home, so I asked him, "Anything new since yesterday?"

He nodded. "As a matter of fact, yeah. Some woman broke into my house last night."

"Did she steal anything?" I asked him even though I knew full well the answer.

Nate nodded again. "My father's ruby quartz glasses."

"Ruby quartz glasses?" I repeated, hoping I seemed to actually be thinking about the matter. "I thought only the Governor owned glasses like those."

"He does." Nate nodded.

"Your _father_ is the _Governor_!"

"Yeah." He gave me a questioning look. "Does that make any difference?"

"Well, no, of course not." I shrugged like it didn't make the tiniest difference if his father was the Governor or the ring leader of the band of thieves I was trying to get into. "It just surprised me; that's all."

He chuckled. "It surprises everybody. Who would ever think that a lowly bartender could possibly be the son of the town's Governor?"

"You're not lowly." I looked up into his blue eyes and smiled.

He smiled back at me. We sat there, just looking at each other, until some one shouted from the corner, "Hey, bartender, ya gonna get me a beer or _what_!"

Nate looked away for a second to tell the guy he'd be there in just a minute. He then looked back at me. "I have to go . . . " he mumbled. "Customer's waiting . . ." He left me before I could say anything else.

I watched him go as I thought about his question -- if it made any difference that his father was the Governor. Yes, it did. It made _a lot_ of difference. How could I break the laws set by the father of my only friend? But, if I didn't, how could I make any money in a little town like this with no job openings and no one stupid enough to go up against me at the gambling tables?

I finished my drink in one long swallow, plopped the glass down on the bar, and left. I could feel Nathan's eyes watching me, but I didn't turn around. I had a lot of thinking to do, and I couldn't concentrate on it with Nathan around.

* * *

That night, for the first time, I entered the saloon without going over to talk to Nathan first. He gave me a strange look but said nothing. I looked around and spotted Emma with two people I didn't recognize sitting at a table in the shadows at the back of the saloon. I joined them and sat down in the last empty seat at the table.

"Well?" Emma asked. "Did you do it?"

Before I could answer, a black woman said, "Don't rush matters, Emma. First, let us make introductions. I am Ororo Munroe."

"Domino."

"De name's Remy LeBeau, chere," said the Cajun, giving me a grin that made him look like he'd been eating manure.

"Emma Frost," Emma said in a cold tone of voice, "but then again, you already know me."

Ororo gave Emma a Look, then turned back to face me. "Judging from what Emma tells us, you sound like you would make an excellent addition to our guild."

Remy nodded eagerly. He still wore that idiotic grin, causing me to want to slap him, but I contained myself. "Did you pull it off, chere?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, handing him the pouch from my belt, "and _don't_ call me 'chere'."

I watched nervously as Remy passed the pouch to Ororo and she passed it on to Emma. "You did well, Domino," Ororo complimented me.

"Beginner's luck," sneered Emma.

Remy winked at me. "I'm sure a looker like yourself ain't a beginner in _other_ areas, ain't that right, Dommy?"

That was it. That one comment caused me to lose my patience with the Cajun jerk. I grabbed him by the red kerchief around his neck and yanked him to where we were eyeball to eyeball. "Let's get something _straight_ right _here_, right _now_. The name _isn't_ 'chere' or 'Dommy' -- it's _Domino_. Get it _straight_ or keep your mouth _shut_. And _stop_ with the sexist remarks -- I'm _not_ interested. Do we have an understanding, LeBeau?"

He nodded. "I'm just tryin' to make ya feel welcome, Dommy -- I mean, _Domino_."

"Well, you're _not_ doing a very good job of it."

Ororo separated us, forcing me to relinquish my grip on him. "Stop it, _both_ of you. You're making a scene."

I looked around angrily only to discover that she was right. _Every_body was looking at us, _including_ Nate, who walked over to our table. "Is this guy bothering you, Dom?" he asked me, ignoring the others.

"No, everything's fine," I lied, "but thanks for asking, Nate." I smiled up at him.

He didn't return my smile. I could tell he wasn't convinced at all. "Well, if he _does_ bother you, Dom, just let me know, and I'll take care of it." He then walked away without another word. I watched him go, upset that I had had to lie to him. _Again_. I didn't like lying to my only friend.

Nate must have noticed that his other customers were still looking at me and the rest of the thieves, because he told them, "Show's _over_, folks. Go back to your _own_ business." They immediately did as he commanded; not a single one wanted to risk angering him.

Ororo's voice brought my attention back to our table. "I must apologize for Remy's behavior -- you know how men are."

"Not all men are jerks," I disagreed, glancing at Nathan.

"I did _not_ say that Remy is a jerk!"

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I thought that you were implying that."

"No! What I _meant_ to imply was that men do not always use their brains." Ororo laughed lightly.

"Same as women," Remy mumbled. Ororo, Emma, and I shot him a Look. "What?" he asked. "What did I say!"

Ororo just shook her head. She then turned back to face me. "You're good, Domino. I think you should join us, but I have to consult with Remy and Emma first."

Emma nodded. There was a sudden silence at the table as they consulted with each other through what I would soon learn to be Emma's telepathy. I didn't have to wait long before Ororo ended the silence. "Before you join us, there is something you should know." She paused.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

"We're mutants," Remy spoke up. "I've got kinetic energy; Stormy controls the weather; and Emma has telepathy."

I laughed. "Is that all?" They nodded slowly. "That doesn't make any difference to me," I explained my reason for laughter. "I'm a mutant, too. Incredible _luck_ is my gift."

Ororo smiled. "Congratulations."

"You mean --?"

"That's right, Domino," Remy nodded, "you're in." He gave me another of his idiotic grins.

I smiled but didn't say anything. My brain was too busy shouting for joy. I saw Nathan at the bar and stopped congratulating myself as I remembered that Nate's father was the Governor and that I, as a thief, would be -- and already had -- breaking his rules. Emma stood up, her white cape reaching all the way to the floor. "Now that that's settled, let us show you to your new home."

"New home?" I repeated.

"Our little hideaway," Ororo clarified. "It isn't a problem for you, is it?"

"No." I shook my head. I had been renting a little house and was glad to be able to have a place to live that I wouldn't have to pay for.

"Den let's go," said Remy, standing.

Ororo joined him. "Are you coming?"

"You three go on outside. I'll join you in just a bit."

Emma started to protest, but Ororo broke her off, "Certainly." She then proceeded to lead Remy and Emma out so that I could be alone with my thoughts.

I sighed as I looked at Nathan. I didn't like the idea of breaking his father's laws one bit, but I didn't really have a choice. I had to have money to eat and to buy clothes and other necessities. I couldn't get that money gambling any longer, and there wasn't a job available in the entire town. Well, a job that I would do. I would _never_ lower myself to become a saloon girl. I had too much self-respect for that. I could only hope that Nate would never find out that I was a thief, because if he did, our friendship would be over. Nate was my only friend, and I hated the mere thought of what life without him would be like. I shook my head and stood up. I gave Nate one last look before leaving.

Outside, I rejoined Ororo, Emma, and Remy. "So where's our hideout?" I asked.

**The End**


	4. The Circus

**The Circus**

They rode into town, the "father" of the two women taking the lead on his stallion. They pulled their horses to a stop in front of the saloon. Rogue and Jubilee had hopped down off their horses when Wolverine picked up a strong scent of fear and anger. He cocked his head and held his nose up in the wind, trying to decipher where the scent was coming from.

"What is it, Wolvy?" drawled Rogue.

"Something's wrong," he muttered in response just as a blonde came running out of the bank, carrying bags of money. The bank's manager came running out behind her, yelling for her to stop. She didn't slow down but instead continued to run. She ran down the boardwalk, pushing her way through the crowd until a pair of strong hands grabbed her. She looked up only to see a tall, dark, and slender man. She kicked him in the groin, causing him to release her, and she was on the run once again.

Wolverine watched her go, nodding to his companions to get back on their horses. The girl jumped off the boardwalk, but her ankle turned, causing her to fall. Wolverine pulled his horse back out and galloped after the girl. Exchanging glances, Rogue and Jubilee followed after him. The girl tried to get up but couldn't. She turned her head to look behind her only to see the guy who had grabbed her earlier nearing her, a look of false sympathy on his face.

"It pains me to see you like this, my dear. Give the money back to the bank, and I'll let you see your friend."

She snorted angrily. "Yeah, right. Yer'll throw me right back in the circus. I don't think so."

"Have it your way," he said, shaking his head as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the girl.

Just then, a stallion thundered past the man. Lethal sliced straight through his gun, causing it to fall to the ground in numerous shreds. The man yelled out, but the rider did not even so much as he pause as he continued to the girl. Reaching down, he scooped her up off of the ground and continued on without his horse ever slowing. Even as the man yelled angrily and the bank manager screamed for the authorities, the girl's hero was joined by two other riders on either side of his horse. Although they wore men's clothes, these two were women. The group galloped out of the town in a cloud of dust and had vanished before the first lawman arrived on the scene.

* * *

They pulled up in front of the thieves' hideout. The blonde jumped off of Wolverine's horse and fixed him with a cold, angry glare. "Why?" she demanded, still holding the bags of money.

"What?" Wolverine asked, getting down from his horse and approvingly patting his mane.

"Why'd you rescue me?"

Jubilee jumped down from her horse to get in the blonde's face. "Girl, yer've got a _major_ attitude problem! If Wolvy hadn't grabbed you when he did, yer'd be dead now! If ya don't start --" She was cut off as Wolverine covered her mouth with his hand.

"Yer'll have to ignore Jubilee; she's got a short fuse," he apologized to the blonde. She nodded, and he continued. "As fer why we rescued ya, well, yer just a kid. Yer've got a long life ahead o' ya if ya just play yer cards right." The blonde looked pointedly at Jubilee. "Yeah, she's 'bout the same age as ya are, but she's been livin' a dangerous life since the day she was born. _You_, on the other hand, obviously are new at the rough life."

She snorted. "I may be new to robbin', but I've _always_ had a rough life!" Wolverine chose that moment to release his grip on Jubilee; she kept her mouth shut but continued to glare angrily at the blonde. The other girl continued, seemingly oblivious to Jubilee's presence, "I never my Mom, and my Dad abandoned me when I was just a child."

"What kinda father'd abandon his young'un?" Rogue spoke up even though she already knew the answer from personal experience.

"The kind that thought she was a freak," she answered, refusing to show any emotion in her voice.

Wolverine looked her over. "Yer a mutant, ain't ya?"

She took a deep breath before answering, "Yeah." She then turned her hand to where the palm faced up and curled her fingers; a bright ball appeared in the middle of her palm.

"What on Earth is _that_?" Rogue asked, peering curiously at the brightly-colored ball.

In response, the blonde threw it at a big rock. "3 . . . 2 . . . 1." The ball exploded, shattering the rock and making a huge hole in the ground.

"What the --?" Wolverine started to say.

"That's what I do," the blonde explained. "That's my power. That's why I'm called Boomer."

"Well, Boomer, we're mutants, too," Wolverine told her. "I'm known in these parts as Wolverine." A claw popped out of one of his hands. "I've got claws, a healin' factor, an' heightened senses." He nodded toward the woman with the Southern accent. "Rogue absorbs other people's powers, thoughts, an' memories just by touchin' 'em. She's also able to fly." He then shifted his gaze to Jubilee. "Jubilee has a power sorta like yers." At his signal, Jubilee shot fireworks out of her hands and into the sky.

"What did ya do after yoah father abandoned ya, Boomer?" Rogue asked.

"I just wandered around, stealin' what food I could find until I met him."

"Him?"

"Jono. We had a lot in common. We were both alone in a hateful world, so we joined up. We were always there for each other, even when Essex tricked us into joining his circus. He promised us that we'd earn enough money that we could _buy_ our food instead of stealing it. He promised we could leave wherever we wanted, but no sooner had we entered the circus than he had his goons grab us and throw us into a cage. We tried to escape a few weeks ago. I managed to get away, but . . ." She trailed off as tears welled up in her haunted, blue eyes. She forced them back down, stubbornly refusing to show the people around her her true feelings. ". . . but Jono wasn't that lucky. Essex has still got him. I've gotta find a way to free him."

Wolverine shook his head. "Ya can't buy his freedom."

"'Course I can!" Boomer exclaimed. "All Essex cares about is money!"

"Precisely," Wolverine said. "No matter how much ya steal, Essex'll still be able to make money off o' yer friend."

"But I've _got_ to free him! I can't just leave him!"

Wolverine put his hand gently on Boomer's shoulder and looked into her sad, blue eyes. "Yer not alone any more, Boomer. We'll help ya get yer friend back."

* * *

It was seconds before the show. I was to be the first act that night. The "Freak Without A Face", that's me. I was nervous and depressed. All the shows are rough 'cause of what Essex forces his "freaks" to go through, but they've been even worse since Boomer left. She was the only sunshine that I've ever had in my life, and now she's dead. Essex shot her the last time we tried to escape. She was the only reason I had to live, and now she's gone and I'll never see her again. I've got nothing left to live for. Nothing.

Essex arrived then. He had one of his men unlock the door to the cage and pull the door open for Essex to enter. He grabbed me by my shoulders. I glared at him. "It's show time, my boy."

"Ya can say that again," a familiar voice said from the doorway of my cell.

I peered around Essex to see who it was. If I had had a jaw, it would've dropped open in shock. There she was. She stood there, waiting for Essex to move. She bounced a glowing, explosive ball up and down in her palm. A serious grin with the tiniest twinge of playfulness was on her beautiful face. I think I saw a tear in her eye when our eyes met, but I can't be sure.

Essex released me and whirled around in shock. "Boomer!" he shouted angrily even as I silently cried her name in joy.

Remembering the guard, I looked around for him. A woman with odd hair and a girl that had a foreign look about her stood behind Boomer. Over in a corner, a short man with claws sat on top of the unconscious guard.

"Come on out, Jono," Boomer told me.

I started to do just that, but Essex grabbed me and threw me back into the back of my cage, causing me to slam against the iron bars. Boomer came into the cell and approached Essex, still holding the ball. "_Go_," she told me again.

Limping, I managed to do as I was told. Essex grabbed for me, but Boomer pushed him back against the side of my cell. Just as I stepped out of my prison, Essex ran at Boomer. He grabbed her and started slamming her repeatedly against my cage's bars. As her head slammed against the iron, the ball she had been holding vanished. I started to rush in and help her when something flew past me.

It was the woman with the strange hair! She grabbed Essex and snatched him away from Boomer. Keeping a hand on his throat, she used her _teeth_ to pull off one of her gloves. She let the glove drop to the floor. "Nighty night, shugah," she said as she caressed one of Essex's cheeks with her bare hand. The next thing I knew Essex was unconscious and the woman had let him drop to the floor. She then flew back out. Boomer, who had managed to recover enough to keep going as the stranger had taken out Essex, followed her after kicking Essex in the ribs. The foreign girl swung the door to the cage that had once been my prison but would not be my enemy's prison closed and locked it with the keys the guy with the claws had taken off of the guard.

Boomer walked over to me. I wanted to hug her, and I knew she wanted to hug me. However, we couldn't hug, 'cause o' me bloody chest bein' on fire. We both had tears in our eyes. Boomer . . . I used my telepathy to communicate with her. I thought Essex killed you!

"He tried to," she said, "more than once." She nodded at the others. "These folks rescued me the last time." She then went on to introduce me to her new friends. The man with the claws was Wolverine, the woman with the strange hair Rogue, and the foreign girl Jubilee.

After introductions were made, Jubilee held up the keys. "What're we gonna do with these?" she asked.

"I got an idea." Jubilee handed Boomer the keys. Boomer took the keys and laid them flat in the palm of her hand. An explosive ball appeared around the keys and melted them. Boomer then absorbed the rest of the ball into her hand.

Just then, Wolverine must've heard footsteps approaching, 'cause he said, "We'd better bail." We did just that.

* * *

The next morning, we came back to where the circus had been. There wasn't a single sign of Essex or the circus left. Boomer must've been upset, too, 'cause she put her hand in mine. I squeezed her hand gently as I told her via our own private telepathic link that everything would be okay now that we were free. Her eyes met mine, and I could tell she wasn't convinced.

Jubilee spoke up then. "Man, he sure cleaned out in a hurry!"

"I reckon we oughta do the same," Boomer said, looking at me.

I saw Jubilee exchange a glance with Rogue and Wolverine before saying, "Why don't y'all stay here with us?"

Boomer looked at her unbelievingly. "Ya mean that?" she asked softly.

Jubilee nodded. "Ya don't have to be alone any more. We're here now."

Wolverine nodded in agreement, a silent smile on his face. Rogue was smiling, too, as she asked, "Well, how 'bout it, shugah?" Boomer looked at me as if waiting for my answer.

I looked around. Just yesterday, I hadn't had a reason to live. Now, my sunshine was back, and I had three more reasons to live. I'll stay if you'll stay, sunshine, I told her.

She looked around at Wolverine, Rogue, and Jubilee. Jubilee extended her hand. A minute or two ticked by before Boomer took Jubilee's hand and shook it, and thus, we came to stay with Wolverine, Rogue, and Jubilee. I finally had a real family.

**The End**


	5. Love Don't Get Nowhere Riding Away

**Love Don't Get Nowhere Riding Away**

I ran out of the bank, keeping the bags of money telepathically masked. Tightly clutching the hefty bags, I rushed to my horse and slipped the bags into my saddle bags. I finally removed the telepathic mask, allowing any one who cared to see me adjust my horse's saddle. I had just gathered the reins and had began to mount when three horses galloped up beside me.

As luck would have it, the short, weasley bank clerk ran out of the bank at almost that exact same moment, hollering at the top of his lungs, "STOP HER! DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!"

"Stop who, laddie?" asked the tall, blonde man as he swung down from his black stallion. His thick Irish accent caused me to hesitate, and I almost made the mistake of glancing at him.

"Her," the clerk pointed straight at me. "She robbed me! Damn blame cleaned the bank out!"

Before I could speak or move, strong arms suddenly wrapped tightly around me. "Di pardon me hands, madam," that delicious, thick Irish accent nearly purred in my ear, thrilling my ears despite the fact that his arms held me around my chest, securely pinning my arms to my side. "Check 'er bags, Victor."

An even taller and more muscular man dismounted from a large stallion. I quickly returned the telepathic mask to shield the money bags, so when Victor looked into my saddle bags, he found nothing suspicious. "Ain't nutin here, boss," he told the Irish man that held me.

It was then that the boy on the third horse hollered. "That's 'cause she ain't the thief! He's the thief!" He pointed at a man clutching thick bags of money as he hurried along the boardwalk. I watched as Victor and the kid ran after him and stopped him from going anywhere. I hid my smile perfectly; the poor fool never knew what hit him. I had used my telepathy to make the parcel the man was truly carrying appear to be the bags of money I'd stolen from the bank. The kid only thought that what he was feeling was the true stolen goods due to the mental command I had implanted in his brain; it would not last long but would more than serve to give me my escape.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" the little man screamed even as the one called Victor dragged him back to where the Irish man still held me.

Victor laughed in a deep, throaty chuckle. "Yeah, _right_." He took one of the bags from the kid, opened it up, took out a coin, and examined it. He bit down on the coin and winced.

The boy laughed at Victor. "Si, it's real all right!" Victor swung at him, but he ducked, smoothly evading the blow. The Irish man released me then, and I turned around to face him.

"Sorry 'bout that, madam," he apologized, tipping his black, cowboy hat to me.

"That's all right, Mister . . .?" I trailed off as my eyes met his, and I found myself swimming in the richest pools of emerald green I had ever seen.

"Cassidy," he said, gazing down into my eyes and causing my heart to roar with a thunder that would even deafen a train. "Sean Cassidy." He smiled at me, and I could feel myself melting.

I leaned closer to him, searching his handsome face as I did so and finding that he was blushing lightly. My lips began to descend towards his when something glittering suddenly caught my eye, and I looked down only to see a badge pinned to his shirt. "I . . . I have to go," the shocked words tumbled out of my mouth as I whirled away from him. Without another word, I mounted my horse and rode out of town, leaving a newly-discovered piece of my heart behind.

I felt Sean watching me as I galloped away, but I couldn't turn around. I couldn't let myself see him again. I couldn't let myself risk falling in love with him. I couldn't let my heart betray me. I couldn't let myself be captured by the law, so I just kept on riding.

**The End**


	6. The Meeting

**The Meeting**

He came riding slowly into town and pulled his magnificent, black horse to a stop in front of the first saloon he saw. Both he and the horse looked like they had been traveling for many, many days; they were sweaty and covered in a fine layer of dust. He patted his horse on the neck as he tied the reins. The whole time, his keen, observant eyes were busily scanning the sleepy, little town for any signs of trouble. Nothing seemed to be stirring. He turned from his horse and started to enter the saloon when he was abruptly stopped by a crumpled-up form of a man who came to stop at the front of his boots. He couldn't go in without removing the man, so he reached down and dragged him out of the way.

It seemed that all of the male citizens were in the saloon. He looked around, trying to see what would make all of them show up in the saloon in the middle of the day. He noticed that there seemed to be a hallway that lead to the back of the saloon. He pulled his coat back to reveal his gun and sauntered up to the bar. The barkeep was an one-eyed, old coot who gave him the once over and asked him what he wanted. "Whiskey," he mumbled.

"You're in luck, stranger. You got here just in time fer the auction."

"Auction?" he queried with an uplifted eyebrow.

"Yup. We got three o' the loveliest wimmin y'all ever laid yer eyes on who cain't pay their bills an' are gonna be auctioned off. Biddin' starts at ten dollars. If interested, have ya a seat over there at that table." He motioned at a table close to the center of the room.

He went over and sat where he could see the door and also watch the auction. He had no real intentions of bidding on women. He was in trouble already, and the last thing he needed to complicate his life was a woman.

The bartender jumped up on top of the counter and yelled, "Y'all shaddup now! The auction is about to commence." He motioned to three burly men who were waiting at the small room he had noticed earlier. They opened the door and immediately jumped back as buckets of paint came tumbling down. A second slower, and they would've been covered. They jumped into the room and came dragging out what appeared to be bobcats or at least that's what you would have mistaken them for from all the snarling and growling that was going on. Each of the burly men had thrown one of the women over their shoulders and was hauling them to the center. It was taking everything that they could do to get them there as they were fighting with every bit of strength that they had against them.

When the women were thrown up on top of the counter, he could see that they would have been very beautiful indeed once cleaned up. There was a blonde, a redhead, and a brunette. The brunette didn't appear to be old enough to be in the company of the others. It was the redhead who caught his eye. He had never seen hair like hers before. Even though he was interested and would have liked to have spent the night with her, he had no intention of getting involved. He finished his drink, set the glass on the table, and started to head for the door. He felt some one watching him. He wheeled around, hand on his gun, to find the redhead desperately looking at him. He was lost!

He continued on his way out the door when he heard a moan from the guy he had dragged out the door earlier. He rolled the guy over and got the shock of his life. He had thought the guy to be drunk, but it appeared that he had had the crap beaten out of him. My God! he thought. They even tore half his face off! He put two and two together and came up with the answer. Somehow, this guy and the women were connected.

A plan began to form in his mind. He went to the livery stable, got the lightest wagon he could find, hitched a team of horses to it, drove back around, picked up the injured dude, put him in the back, and drove it to the back of the saloon. He then returned to the livery stables and released every single horse. He went to the front of the saloon and reloaded all horses but his. He went to the store and found dynamite. He went back to the front of the saloon, charged the dynamite, and then threw one stick of dynimate into the center of the street right in front of the saloon. He raced to the back and opened the locked, back door. He made sure his team of horses couldn't run away, and he slowly went up the hall.

All of a sudden, all Hell broke loose. DYNAMITE EXPLODED! Screaming horses ran madly away in one direction while screaming men went running out of the saloon, hollering, "THE BANK! THE BANK! SOMEBODY'S ROBBIN' THE BANK!"

Meanwhile, the redhead sucker punched her guard with an uppercut to the chin. The blonde kicked her guard in the groin area, and the brunette shot sparks in her guard's eyes and blinded him. They jumped off of the counter and ran so fast down the hallway that they almost overran their would-be rescuer.

He led them to the waiting wagon and assisted them onto the wagon. "Do any of you ladies know how to drive?"

"Nope," the brunette said. "Sorry 'bout that. None of us know how to drive."

"Well, den, move over. I'll drive." He leaped lightly to the wagon seat and expertly guided the team of horses right through the middle of town, almost running over the townspeople who tried to get in their way. The blonde and the brunette let go a shower of sparks over those idiots who were unlucky enough to get in their way.

* * *

"Shugah, thank ya for what ya did for us back there. We appreciate all the help ya gave us," the redhead spoke up. "Mah name is Rogue, an' if we can evah do anythin' ta help ya, let us know."

"My pleasure. I couldn't stand to leave y'all at their mercy. Now where can I take y'all to?"

Rogue opened her mouth and started to tell him where he could take them when the busty blonde opened her mouth and said, "Nowhere, mister. We ain't got a home."

"Well, den, I suggest you cheres get as much rest as possible. I'll take you to my home. You'll be safe dere."

"Why would we wanna go to your house, mister?" the blonde persisted.

"Don't worry, chere; I have no designs on you. Dere are three fine ladies at my house. One o' dem will be able to help your friend back dere." He motioned with his head toward the prone man. "Although what she's gonna do to help him wit' his face half gone, I don't know."

The brunette sitting in the floor of the wagon bed, holding the hurt man's head in her lap, said, "His name is Jono, mister, an' his face is made like that."

"My God, chere! What happened to his face!"

"We don't know. He was that way when we found him, an' he doesn't talk about himself."

"What's your name?"

"Jubilee."

"That's a pretty name for a girl."

"Mister, you keep asking what our names are. What's _your_ name?" the blonde asked. "Why should we trust you?"

"Boomer, leave the man alone," Rogue demanded. "Sorry 'bout that, mistah, but she don't trust very many men."

"Dat's okay, chere. I didn't get upset by it, and by de way, this ol' Cajun's name is Remy."

Silence fell over everybody. One by one, the ladies fell asleep. Remy settled in for the long drive. They were on the road for about six hours when Remy reached his destination. As he pulled up to the hideaway, a beautiful woman flew out to greet him. "Remy, you're late! We were worried!"

"I ran into some unexpected company."

Rogue opened her eyes and looked out at the beautiful lady. "Hello. Welcome to our home."

Remy said, "Stormy, dis is Rogue, Jubilee, and Boomer. Ladies, dis is Storm." A low moan escaped from Jono's lips. "Storm, dis is Jono, and he's been hurt."

"Bring him quickly to the pool."

Remy slung Jono over his right shoulder and followed Storm after saying, "Y'all please wait here."

The pool was a magical hot springs that Storm had created. Remy quickly stripped both he and Jono except for their briefs and carried Jono into the pool.

Meanwhile, Storm returned to the waiting ladies and unharnessed the horses. She led the tired ladies into her inner chamber. There was a large fire with a pot of what appeared to be a bubbling stew in it. The aroma assailed their nostrils and made them realize how hungry they were. Storm got each girl a bowl of what turned out to be a herbal stew. They hungrily began to eat.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the pool, Remy had almost fallen asleep. He looked at Jono and saw that the young man's eyes were open and looking right at him. "Who are you?" he asked. Remy explained to him what was going on. Jono said, "Thank you for rescuing us."

"You're welcome, mon ami. I dink you've been in here long enough. Let us go in search of what Storm has for supper."

"Storm?"

"She is my best friend and lives here with me." He assisted him out of the pool.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Remy?"

"Yeah, Storm, we're coming."

"Ladies, you've had time to eat. Now let's go and refresh ourselves. Follow me." Storm led them out by one way while he brought Jono in through another way into the cooking chamber.

Jono said, "Ya know, it's the weirdest thing -- I'm not usually able to eat anything, and I'm starving to death!"

Remy said, "No problem. Remove your scarf, and you'll be able to eat."

"If I remove my scarf, ya won't like what you see."

Remy simply said, "Remove your scarf, and you might like what you see." He handed Jono a mirror. "Look into it, and remove your scarf."

Jono gingerly removed his scarf, and in doing so, his hand brushed his chin. "Oh my God!" he said. "It's a miracle! Or am I dreaming?"

"You're awake, mon ami, and you're not dreaming. The pool healed you." Tears of happiness streamed down Jono's face. Remy said, "I'm happy for you, mon ami." A very happy Jono dried his tears and began to eat his food.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the pool, every one was splashing happily in the water. The beautiful lights passing over their heads gave them a peaceful, relaxing feeling. All of a sudden, Jubes noticed Boomer's hair and let out a yelp. "MAN, BOOMER, LOOK AT YOUR HAIR!"

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Put out your hand, and touch it. You're not gonna believe this, shugah."

Boomer put out her hand and screamed. "My hair! It's -- it's _looong_!"

Storm laughed gently from the background and then said, "I guess it figured your hair was injured. This is a healing pool. Remy can fix your hair."

Rogue looked around and shook her head. "And speakin' of hair, ya better look at your own hair, Jubes," Boomer said.

"What's wrong with _my_ hair?" Jubilee asked. She felt for the end of her hair but couldn't find it. "_Mine's long, too_!" She looked over at Rogue. "And, Rogue, your bruise's gone!"

Rogue touched the spot where her bruise had been. "What a wonderful pool," she thought aloud.

* * *

Storm led the way back into the cooking chamber where Rogue was the first one to see Jono. She gasped. "Mah God, look at Jono!"

Boomer said, "What's wrong? Is his hair ten miles long, too?"

Jubilee pushed pass to see what was wrong with Jono. She whispered his name as her mouth fell open. "He's _cute_!"

Rogue looked over at Remy. "He sure is, shugah!" She gave herself a little hug. Remy snored in response. Storm removed the bowl from Remy's hand and covered him with a blanket. Rogue looked over at Boomer and said, "Shut your mouth, gal, 'fore ya get a fly in it."

Boomer shut her mouth but continued to stare at Jono, speechless. He just kept on sleeping. Storm fetched another blanket and covered up Jono. Then, she led the ladies over to a side chamber and showed them where they could sleep.

Rogue thought that it was such a strange place and a strange night that she would never fall asleep, but she managed to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She spent a dream-filled night in which she managed to redream the path that had led them there. Remy played the hero throughout her dreams. Jubilee and Boomer both dreamed a dream starring Jono.

* * *

Storm was the first one up. She made Remy roll out, because it was his turn to cook. During the night, their two missing members had returned. Emma was still asleep, but Domino was awake. She found trouble sleeping because of her inner conflict about what to do about Nathan. Storm woke up Emma and motioned for her and Domino to follow. A family meeting was held in the cooking chamber to determine what to do about their visitors.

Emma thought it would be best if Remy took them to their own home. Emma attempted to do a mindprobe without the knowledge of any of the visitors and was successful only with Boomer. What she picked up when she read Rogue's mind made her laugh, but she wouldn't tell anybody what it was.

Remy cooked breakfast. Storm woke everybody up so they could eat. Remy decided to address the situation; he looked at Rogue and said, "Don't you think your people will be worried about you? Today, I will take you home if you'll tell me the way."

Rogue knew that Wolverine was probably having fits by now. After all, they were two days late. She knew she could trust Remy, but she couldn't say yes without having a conference with her companions. Emma and Boomer were eyeing each other; they definitely didn't like the looks of each other. Storm ushered Domino and Emma out of the room in order to give their visitors some time alone to discuss it. Remy went out to feed the horses.

After a heated discussion, Rogue finally convinced Boomer into telling the way. Jono kept staring at Jubes and Boomer until he finally asked, "Where did you ladies find those wigs?"

"IT'S NOT A WIG!" Boomer screamed. "IT'S MY HAIR!"

"Why, Boomer, I think it's beautiful. Why are you so upset about it?"

Storm came back in, and Rogue told her that they would show Remy the way. Remy returned and noticed that Boomer was upset. "What's wrong, chere?"

"_My hair is_ **awful**!"

"No, it's not. I can fix it if you'll let me. I'm good at cutting hair."

Boomer actually said, "Please do. I _hate_ long hair."

Boomer took a seat on the ground in front of Remy, and Remy cut her hair. When Jubilee saw what a fine job Remy did on Boomer's hair, she asked him to cut her hair. Rogue watched everything Remy did and never let on what she was really thinking. Emma watched everything that went on, especially Rogue, and laughed secretly to herself. She knew what Rogue was thinking. Emma thought to herself, Remy is in for a shock if he ever finds out what that girl is thinking!

Remy hitched up the wgaon and headed out. Jono helped Boomer and Jubes into the wagon while Remy helped Rogue. Jono still wasn't quite sure how to take his new status. He had never been one to attract the ladies' attention, and now he had two really pretty ladies interested in him. He knew he was way out of his league and could hardly wait to get home to Wolverine and get his advice on the matter. Wolverine was a man of the world, and he had had many women interested in him. He would probably find this to be a laughable situation.

* * *

Storm had packed a lunch, because she knew it was a long way there. She was riding her white stallion. Rogue was in her daydream world. Jubilee and Boomer were continuing to stare holes in Jono. Remy was also lost in his dreamworld: What if I dared to approach her? Would she reject me? They rode for a long time in silence, everybody lost in their own little world.

Storm suddenly said, "Remy, stop just ahead. There is a nice creek there -- a good place to have lunch."

As Remy went to help Rogue down from the wagon, she slid down very close between him and the wagon. They got lost in each other's eyes. Storm cleared her throat, "Basket's in the back."

For just that one moment, two lost souls had reached out and found each other. Remy made up his mind that he would talk to her before journey's end and state his case. Rogue had trouble breathing, and as Remy slowly removed his arms from around her and went for the picnic basket, she thought, Uh-oh, girl! You're in trouble this time! What would Wolvy think?

They settled on some rocks to have lunch, and while they ate, the horses ate. After eating, Remy looked at Rogue and said, "Would you walk with me, chere? I would like to talk to you."

They walked off a little piece where there was a big rock. Rogue sat down on the rock and prepared to hear the worst. Remy cleared his throat and prepared to speak. He then said, "Chere, I've never felt dis way 'fore, and I don't know quite what to say."

Rogue looked at Remy with eyes full of stars and said, "How do ya feel?"

"I dink -- no, I _know_ I love you."

At that exact moment, a growl was suddenly heard, and suddenly flying through the air and landing right on top of poor Remy was a man with claws that attacked Remy worse than a bobcat. Remy was so startled that he soon ended up on his back with this strange man sitting on top of him with a claw aimed at his jugular. "You made a mistake, bub, and messed with the wrong woman."

Uh-oh! Remy thought. Now her husband shows up!

"Logan, get off of him and leave him alone at once!" Rogue demanded.

"Sorry, chere," Remy mumbled, "didn't know you were married."

"Ah'm not, shugah. He's like mah father."

Everybody came running up to see what all the racket was about. Jubes and Boomer threw themselves at Logan, and he hugged them fiercely. Jono helped Remy to his feet. Logan eyeed Jono. "Jono, is that you? What happened to your face?"

"It's a long story but a happy one at that, sir. Be glad to tell you about it on the way home."

Storm looked at Wolvy and liked what she saw -- a proud, strong man who is not afraid to love his "children". She smiled at him, and his eyes were drawn to her immediately.

Rogue, standing beside Remy and touching his arm gently, said, "Logan, these are our new friends -- Storm and Remy." To Remy and Storm, she said, "This is our family -- Logan!"

Rogue and Remy wandered off to the side, leaving Storm and Logan talking to each other. Rogue looked at Remy. "Before all this happened, shugah, you were trying to tell me something?"

Remy said, "Sure was, chere. I want to say I would like to keep seeing you; I don't want to lose you."

"Nor I you," she whispered back.

"Dare I hope that you care for me, chere?"

"Yes, Ah do, shugah!"

_Don't know who moved to kiss the other one first, but they put a lip locker on that rocked the world. I know 'cause I swear the ground shook beneath mah feet. You see, Ah was there -- and Ah know what happened, shugah, for you see, Ah'm Rogue._

_Any way to make a long story short, Storm talked Logan into moving our family to her family location, and we became one big, happy family. Remy and I were to marry in the Spring, but a lot would happen to our family in that length of time. Some of us would be happier than any other time of our lives, but everything would change._

**The End**

Author's Note: This AU is now open to every one who would like to write in this series. We only ask that you do four things: 

1. Invite us to read any and all fic featuring this AU that we created.

2. Keep to the couples that we began this series with the intention of putting together with the exception of Rogue. You may split Remy and Rogue up if you wish to pair her with Joseph instead (who we would love to see make a guest appearance sometime as perhaps a Pinkeraton agent), but all other pairings -- Logan/Ororo, Cable/Domino, Skin/Jubilee, Sean/Emma, Chamber/Boomer, and Scott/Jean -- must remain together.

3. None of the Mutant Thieves may betray each other. They are more than a team of thieves. They are a family, and their relationships should always be shown as such.

4. You must always give us credit as the creators of this AU.


End file.
